The 25 Best Cigars of the Year 2005

A. Turrent Churchill

Mexican cigars have an image problem. The country's largest cigar brand, Te-Amo, has an old school, rustic flavor that some people love and others don't. Yet many of America's largest cigar brands rely in part on Mexican tobacco, much of it grown by the makers of Te-Amo, the Turrent family. Once Mexico relaxed its trade restrictions barring the importation of tobaccos, the Turrents were able to obtain foreign tobaccos with which to improve their blends. After many years of tweaking, in 2005 the Turrents released the A. Turrent brand, which is more complex than Te-Amos. The 7 by 52 A. Turrent Churchill, the best of the five-size line, has a rich, earthy flavor and a creamy medium body.